Iscariot
by Gabriel Syme
Summary: Presenting my own answer to the Hellsing series, after watching the anime: Iscariot ! And yes, Alexander Anderson, the Paladin, is the hero here ! r & r, and no flames please !
1. Division 13

" And God will crush Satan, underneath your own feet."

-Romans 16, Verse 20

~

Chaos.

It was everywhere, inescapable.

The observer stared on, as he bore witness to the duel above.

Explosion; large, ominous clouds rose, as the continuing tempest rage, it's bellowing sounds, within the dreadful heavens, ominous to the hosts below.

The slithering visage of the snake and the ravenous figure of the dog collided, as the thunder cracked.

A smile reflected off the face of the observer. He was unique, as he literally stood out of the majority of the audience of this grand spectacle.

As the light shone of the glasses, his smile grew, wickedly, and gladly, as he knew the outcome of the battle.

~

Darkness fell on the dome.

The moon rose gloriously into the night sky, bearing light amidst the veil of darkness that fell on the city below.

And, deep within the dome, further down, down to it's deepest core, stood a rather innocuous looking room.

It was a dark room. 

Even Luna's light could not penetrate the secrets that the dome beheld to the globe, the room being one of it's most deepest, darkest, and yet, paradoxically, it's most illuminating.

A congregation of a select few as being conducted at the juncture.

The rough feel of mahogany was scraped by long, sharp fingers. It belonged to a man with beady eyes, snake eyes, white hair that ended in a pony tail, and an insidious pointed nose. 

He was looking rather solemn.

~

For he was being judged

Sitting opposite him, was his judge.

He was a man of well-composed stature. His face was smooth, but bore a hidden coarseness, his nose was of normal standing, his eyes resembling that of an eagle's. His messy, unmanaged hair was shielded by a velvet cap, his black suit, signifying his nobility. His bare hands were clasped firmly, his face focused on his subject.

Between them spread out on the table, were various pictures.

The first beheld the destruction of what was once a magnificent city. Flames were burgeoning, for, though the photograph remained still in it's representation, it clearly portrayed the savagery of the flames.

There were other photographs, filled with pictures of all manner of horrifying visages, culminating in the final picture.

It was a figure, a figure of grotesque evil. It was genderless, and possessed an anthropomorphic figure; vaguely human, and, yet, indefinitely not human.

What was more grotesque, though, was how it was executed.

For a long spear, of finest silver, had pierced the body, all the way, from it's rear, up, reaching it's apex, extending out of the figure's mouth, as it lay, limp, and ultimately, deceased.

Serious matters were at hand for the Vatican.

~

"Hellsing is dead."

The ominous words reached all four corners of the room, as the superior stared on, and continued it's speech.

"All it's members are dead, save for it's leader, Dame Integra Wingates Hellsing, now being interned at the Tower of London, and her accomplice, Walter. Of course, this is not forgetting it's two other members: Officer Celeste Victoria, and that damned monstrosity, Vlad Tepesh, now known as the vampire Mosefratue Alucard.

Although Incognito has been defeated, it has been at a cost: London has been half ruined by the duel between Alucard and Incognito. What's more, this stupid freak chip business has been unsettled, and is spreading throughout the world."

"Yes…"

"And you are telling me that it is a good thing that Hellsing is dead."

Silence filled the room.

Father Maxwell, feeling rather timid, was tempted to answer back, but, was immediately cut off.

"You fool, Maxwell ! Hellsing has protected England for ages now ! With it gone, The Order of Iscariot now has an added responsibility: the protection of the British Isles !

Our agents worldwide are already exhausting their attempts in handling this outbreak of freak chips! At least Hellsing saved us some trouble !

Now, what are we to do ?!"

"Well, we're not responsible."

"Ah yes. But, have you not forgotten the incident a while back, hmmm ?"

"But…"

"Enough !"

As he said this, the door opened, to reveal another priest, robed in black as well.

"Brothers, the meeting is about to start soon."

~

Seated around the table of mahogany were the men of Iscariot.

However, unlike the apostle they were named after, they were men of loyalty and trust, dedicated to their Faith, to their Pope, and most of all, to the One that they held in highest honour above all.

"Jesus Christ."

A priest had disobeyed the third commandment of Moses, as noted in the scriptures of old. However, he had to be forgiven.

For any mortal human being would be overwhelmed by the black and white pictures that flashed before their eyes.

"The demon that the Incognito released, Seto, has been cast back from whence it came. However, because of this demonic summoning, there is a fear that more demonic beasts may ravage this world. Of course, all seems fine for now, but, we are not certain about this. 

Add that to our current situation, and you all know why you were given suicide pills in your pockets.

Hellsing is dead. I cannot emphasize it anymore: although the vampire Alucard is at large, and is believe to be continuing his work, and a few resistance groups, as well as our own agents, are policing the British isles, we cannot fully confirm the safety of Great Britain.

And that is not all. The Freak Chip is spreading throughout the world. We have managed to maintain it's spread here, but, even so, it has spread to as far as the Americas and Australasia. There is only so much that we can do."

"Then, what is there to do ?"

The man that was speaking, the leader, the one with the authority, that addressed Maxwell earlier, shifted round on the spot, and confronted the inquisitive priest.

"What is to be done, you ask ?"

He gave a deep sigh.

He looked down his head in deep thought, before bringing his head up once again.

"Now is not the time for petty squabbling. Our enmity with Hellsing has resulted in a heavy price. Now, we must look to alliances with our old enemies."

"But… you can't be seriously…"

"I know ! It is our duty as a Church to spread the Word of God ! But, we have no choice, and it was never our intention to carry out killings of any sort ! Paladin Anderson disobeyed the law when he killed a few members of Hellsing: they are our enemies, yes, but, he was straying from the primary objective ! And our Holy Father, the Pope, has already called for a greater tolerance to other faiths, thank you very much !

We must not make this mistake again !"

"Then, who do we turn to ?"

The projector took a short click, and the answer flashed on the screen.

  
~  


"We have discovered a group of radical Muslims in the Middle East. They are an age old order of Assassins, dedicated to fighting the creatures of the night. They are extremely hostile to all religions, even to certain teachings of slam. However, their zealotry has been noted. 

In fact, they are the only group that have developed an immunity to vampirism."

This last fact stunned the audience.

"Immunity ? But, that's impossible !"

"I know. But, for some reason or rather, they are completely resistant to conversion by vampire bites, let alone by some insignificant chip. We do not know their methods, or their ways, but, their ferocity is great.

Their influence has been found, ranging from the Middle East, all the way, to South East Asia.

The second group is a recently created Combine of monks in central Asia. Interestingly, it's a coalition of Buddhist and Taoist monks. From what we know, the Taoists and Buddhists have had dealt with vampires in mainland china for centuries now, but, they used to be made up of different orders. Now, they have come together to create a main group solely dedicated to eliminating the threat.

The atheistic communists have also developed their own vampire fighting unit in China. Heaven knows how they do it, but, from what we've gathered, it's been very successful.

You all, of course, know our previous rivals with the Zionist organization "Golem", and the other Christian organizations that we face off with from time to time.

These are now our friends."

"But, even with these allies, it doesn't help solve the problem."

"It doesn't.

Iscariot has to increase it's influence worldwide. Britain has now become a possible portal to creatures of the Underworld: we will need to dispatch a unit there to ensure it's protection. We can no longer depend on Hellsing. "

This last bit of news caused much discussion amongst the members around the table.

However, there was one question, from the far end of the table.

From a newly added member to the Order.

"What of the Paladins ? Surely we could make use of them ?"

The leader smiled, as he looked on.

"Thomas, Thomas… not a wonder your codeame is "Aquinas". Thank you for bringing that up."

"But, we only have a few paladins…"

"I know Maxwell. We only have three. However, unless I am wrong, there happened to be Thirteen Paladins as the fellows of the great Carolus Magnus, Charlemagne.

We have already trained ten for the duty. They are all fully augmented, and have undergone the processes required. At the same time, there are the Knights who have received the training but are not yet ready for the ascent to the ways of the Paladin; one will be appointed upon the deaths of any one of the Paladins. That way, we can maintain a force that can handle this threat. At the same time, two paladin will aid a superintendant oversee Iscariot operations in a particular continent."

Six continents… times two.. That's Twelve. What of the last one ?"

"The last one ? The Thirteenth Paladin ?"

John stopped in his briefing for a while.

The elderly priest, the man behind Iscariot, stood firm, after minutes of pacing up and down during the briefing.

"The Thirteenth Paladin, will be the Head of his Order within Iscariot. He will be made to carry out operations throughout the globe, and will be assigned to operations of particular interest when required to. His occupation will be the greatest and gravest: he has to oversee the work of his consorts throughout the world.

It will take a man of great experience, a man of great Faith, a man of great Willpower."

"Then, who has been appointed to take his place ?"

The tension was unbearable.

John uttered the answer, in a serous, manner.

  
"Alexander Anderson."

~  


"But, the man is a madman ! He has killed members of Hellsing…"

"Yes, but he is also of the greatest experience. None of you have been through what Alex has. The man has seen a lot. He may be mad, but, he still has bearings. He is still strong in Faith, even if he gets carried away. It will be Alex that will lead the Charge of the Paladins, and will ensure their influence throughout the world. 

The Pope has already recognized Alex's valour, and has granted him to be Head. Even I wish Alex to be head."

"But…."

"We cannot afford to dissent now.

These are grave times, and it will, more than ever, test our unity as a one, undivided, Catholic Church. 

It is not the end of the world, not yet. The end of days has not arrived: this is merely a small mishap that can be dealt with."

John was reaching the final stages of his briefing, as he gave away his final say.

"God is with us; we are to constantly remember that we are always in His holy presence.

Amen."

"Amen."

And finally, Jesus always lives in our hearts. 

Forever."

"Forever !"

And the chorus of priests signified that, despite their betraying anxiety, and fears, they were united, by common brotherhood, to face an enemy they've never encountered before.

~

To be continued………..

~  


Author's Notes: This fic. is based off mainly from the anime series, and not the manga. Also, this is focused mainly on the Iscariot organization, and, of course, Anderson, thus the title. Think of it as an opposite to Hellsing.

Lastly, I don't own Hellsing: the names of the priests in charge are all mine, though.


	2. Ordination

Midday. A lone car came, cruising by the streets, of Rome. It was a vessel of white and silver, it's chrome colour gleaming in the light of Brother Sun, as it sped through the streets of Rome, onwards, to a grey, silvery dome in it's distance. Exhaust gas, cleaned of all impurities, and converted into more tolerable substances, spewed from the rear of the car, as it moved, with haste, to it's destination, a sleek jaguar in chase of it's prey in the thick of the forest.

Standing, alone, at the front of the complex, was a man. 

He was young, a youth that had just left the stage of youthfulness, and was now reaching the more mature stage of the later part of the third decade of one's Life. He was a man of normal birth, but, of high intelligence and wisdom, maturity beyond his age. He was super-strong, but, he could manage with most situations. He was of normal weight, a bit enlarged due to a recent interest in rather fattening foods. His hair was brown, and waving in the distance, his eyes a shade of grey, his eyebrows rather thin. His hair was long, and uncut, and he was constantly clean-shaven: had had a tendency to shave constantly, even in the absence of any facial hairs.

He wore a black cassock, indicating many things; he innocence, purity, as well as his devotion and Faith. However, the colour of his robe bore a hidden agenda, one that is associated with the colour when cassocks aren't involved.

As the wind blew, and faced the unstoppable resistance of the car, the car, finally came to a stop, not because of the wind, but, through it's own will.

As the man looked down, the window at the right side of the car winded down, and revealed the driver's face.

"Father Thomas, I presume ?"

"Yes."

"Password ?"

"Janus."

As the driver nodded in agreement, he jerked his head once more, but, this time, to the occupant of the back of the car. The occupant, who took it as the moment to reveal himself. With his big hands, he grasped the handle of the door, and came out.

~

He was a tall man, a giant. His face was bristly, filled with short-cut facial hairs, similar to that of the backs of the heads of recruits and veterans in an army. His hair was blonde, a bright yellow, a symbol of Light to a degree. His glasses were transparent, revealing, in all truth, eyes that was a light shade of green, a colour of mystery, a colour of Growth. His eyebrows were of medium growth, and fear reaching, almost touching each other. His nose was in a somewhat high profile, characteristic of many Westerners, and his face was rectangular, bearing a sizeable forehead. The hair on the back of his head and sides were trimmed, and it was styled in such a manner that, though looking rather formal, as it was all cropped up towards the top, and not falling loosely like a messy lot, it nonetheless gave the giant a very wild look. And indeed, the man was lupine in his own manner. Though his eyes were green, he grinned to the man of lower height below him. His front teeth bore two distinguishable incisors, and his very look was that of a ruffian, a wild, savage person, and an ignorable scar on his cheek proved this. However, at the same time, he was also formal, just, and bore a lighter side, as can be seen in his eyes.

He gave a wide, happy grin, one out of fondness, to the man below him.

"Brother Thomas..."

He spoke with a rough Scottish accent masked by years of formal education, and exposure to other speaking peoples of a common lingua franca.

"Father Anderson ! You have returned !"

"Yes I have. God bless you, brother."

And with that, Father Alexander Anderson, Knight of the Roman Catholic Church, and a Paladin of the Order of Iscariot, looked high up into the air, and grinned.

"It's good to be home."

~

The two men of the cloth walked to the complex ahead of them, as the younger of the two, in a attempt to stifle his excitement, decided to inquisitively enquire the larger man on his experiences.

"How was trip to England ?"

This question was asked in jest.

"Oh, it was good."

And that too, was in jest.

"Have you gone back to Scotland ?"

Father Alex arched his eyebrow in surprise, before returning to a rather acknowledging smile.

"Yes, yes I did. It was good to go back there, a refreshing break from work, and it brings back memories. But, this is my true home, and I am glad that I am back here."

"Indeed, Father Alex."

"Now, I should ask you a question: you're now a part of the Order of Iscariot: what does it feel like ?"

"To be truthful, it feels, rather odd, but, I'm managing. ..."

As the two men continued their chat, they pushed the glass door, and entered the complex.

~

As they resumed their conversation, they walked through a large hall, decorated with the work of the great Michelangelo, as they moved forth, to a rather innocuous looking door. 

The door opened to reveal a large, rectangular table, carved out of mahogany, surrounded by a dozen mahogany chairs, one at each end, and a quintet by each side.

"If you may, take a seat."

Father Alex, took his place at the head of the table. He took off his long, white trench coat, and placed it on a nearby coat. Beneath the coat, he wore a formal suit consisting of a jacket, shirt and trousers, specifically designed for those of the blessed orders, two white gloves, and a suiting pair of black boots.

Meanwhile, Father Thomas had moved into another room, not far from the conference room they entered, it's entrance just behind Alex's position.

"I presume you're hungry Father ?"

"Very, Thomas. I can usually go off food for a few weeks, but, every now and then, I need a quick bite..."

"How does a nice meat pie sound ?"

"Wonderful !"

And out came Thomas, bearing a large, well cooked beef pie. He placed it gently on the table, as if it were a feather, and Father Alex eyed it, ready to tuck in on the instant.

"Lovely..."

"Would you mind if I cut it for you ?"

"No need."

~

And with a quick jerk, he straightened his right arm, directly east, like a lightning bolt. Hidden beneath the sleeve of his jacket was a Baptised Blade. The movement startled Thomas, and the appearance of the blade almost shocked him, though Alex was inhumanly quick enough to catch the handle of the blade.

"I can do it myself."

"Father Alex, that is a baptised blade..."

"Yes, but I believe in practicality. Why dirty another knife when you can use another one. And besides, there's nothing really special about his blade: it is more than just a weapon, it has it's other uses."

And, as he said this, with a few quick strokes, he carved a sizeable slice of the pie. A quick turn of the handle, and the blade had enough width to hold the slice of pie, as he lay it nicely, on his plate.

Taking off his right gloves, he revealed a hand that was thick with hair, and large, perfect for gripping, and grasping. With his bare, right hand, he meticulously clutched the pie, and, while ensuring that no morsel of food fell to the floor, took, one, wholesome bite.

"Delicious ! I haven't had a pie like this in ages !"

~

Slice by slice, he repeated this routine, as Father Thomas looked on, while Father Alex happily tucked in.

After about six slices, with more than half the pie gone, Alex looked up, away from the pie, and was confronted by a whole lot of Iscariot priests.

It was then that suspicion came in.

"Wait a minute... it's not that cockroach joke again, is it ?

~  


"So, that's how it is."

And, as Father John stopped sort of his briefing, he nodded his head.

"Yes Alex. We have not been able to track down the source of the freak chip implant, and we need the help of the other groups more than ever..."

"But that means..."

"Yes, a restraining order has been put on you when it comes to the vampire Nosferatu Alucard.

You cannot touch him."

"But..."

"If you lay one finger on him, you stand a chance of being defrocked, and, subsequently, ex-communicated."

Alexander gritted his teeth, trying to stifle an outburst.

"Anyway... there's a matter of much greater importance to be discussed."

~  


The words of John hit Alex like bloodshot. Within moments, he felt branded, a being that was placed with an irremovable mark, a cross, on his shoulder.

"Congratulations Alexander.

You now represent the Church as it is. You are more than just an avenger, a purveyor of Justice.

You are now a leader. You have risen beyond the mere rank of Paladin, you are more than just a Knight in service of the Vatican, the Pope, the Church and it's Lord, you now Lead the Charge. You are it's key soldier, representing the Church not only in alms giving, but, in another sense. You are more than just a Templaric Knight, you are the Head of the Templar.

Alexander Anderson, by the request of his holiness Pope Patrick the First, through the divine intercession of Jesus Christ the Son, and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and by my orders, you are now Archon, Supreme of the Paladins, and their Prime.

God Bless you, Archon Alexander Anderson."

~

This meeting is adjourned.

Alex, please report the laboratory at 500 hours, tomorrow morning to receive your new nano-augmentation canisters, which you will install. Your choice of new implants is up to you.

You will also need to pick a squire, your "apprentice", as soon as possible, as we are in need of more agents in our field.

God bless you Alex, and may Jesus live in your heart.

Forever."

~  


And, as the room was cleared of all men, Alex remained at his table, speechless, his blade at the side of the half-eaten pie, and an unfinished bit of food on his plate.

For some reason or rather, the meat pie didn't have it's taste any more....

~

Note:

Much speculation has been noted as to Alexander's powers. Well, from what I have gathered, as a "regenerator", Alexander Anderson is actually a human with nanotechnological implants, similar to JC Denton of "Deus Ex". Basically, Alex has all these nanobots, or nanites, in his body that allow his to speed up his regeneration processes. He is not, as some have speculated, to have received his regenerative powers from God (if he did, he wouldn't be killing Anglicans), though, as priest, he does use blessings, as seen in Episode 3, when he prevented Alucard from using his black magic. I may be wrong, but, this is the information I derived from the main guide to the series itself (the "ultimate fan guide"), and it also came through my own conclusions.

Then again, it's also an excuse as to Anderson's new kit....(you'll see it coming...;) )


	3. Lock, Stock & Two Canisters

Harsh and windy.

As night fell on the desert below, the moon shone down on an obscure building; one that was housing a ritual.

They were men, all clad in back, only their dark, sombre eyes staring out, and their arms exposed, bearing the marks of numerous fights, and more interestingly, bites.

Two of them were bearing, with incredible ease, a raging figure of the undead, struggling for it's own freedom, and seeking it's main source of sustenance, blood.

A vampire.

However, despite the creature's inhuman strength, the two zealots moved the being with relative ease, and soon, brought it to a table.

Here, two more men came, just as well clad, and the four fastened the being's arms and legs with chains, to prevent any possible attempt of escape.

The vampire was now left, a poor, struggling individual, devoid of the might it once held when it fed on the blood of men. It was no longer mighty, fearsome and lethal; it was pathetic, weak, and vulnerable.

And with that, the leader came in. He bore an incredibly long beard, and his skin was, like the others, a light almond, and on his head, a white turban, matching his long, white robes. He was masked, a white piece of cloth covering his mouth, leaving only his aged, yet vigilant eyes, watching.

He unsheathed the dagger from it's scabbard, hung loosely around the waist. It was damasked in silver, the very blade curved in a distinctive manner, with Arabic runes decorating it's elaborate design.

The ritual had begun.

"You have tasted the blood of men, may you taste ours..."

As he said this, he took his dagger, and cut a deep long line along his arm.

Small droplets of blood fell to the floor, the blade was now covered in blood.

"Allah the Mighty, Allah the Great, Allah the All Powerful, heed our call ! Defender of the Djinn and Men, hear our prayers !"

Closer and closer, the vampire struggled, though helplessly, as the old men came, bearing a lethal weapon in his right hand.

"This evil creature of the night shall be slain in the name of Allah !"

He raised both of his hands, both clutching the dagger.

The vampire gave it's last unearthly cry, whether in protest, in vain, or in anger, it was unimportant as it was drowned out, by a greater call.

"Allah Akhbar !"

~  


A deft shot sword came, unerring in it's course, as it hit it's target.

A stuffed dummy.

"Good shot Father Anderson !"

"Yes Thomas, though I must admit: I feel that I placed too much power on the thrust."

Alexander Anderson proceeded to obtain the blade from the dummy, as Fr. Thomas beckoned Alex with a nod of his head in a direction towards the paladin.

"Let's go."

~

"So you turned invisible ?"

"Of course I did ! Did you really think I could turn into a hundred pieces of paper ? Of course I can't; nano-technology is not that advanced !"

"Then, what was with all those pieces of paper rising up to the ground ?"

"That ? That was a gimmick ! It gave me a cover as I turned invisible, and it was a measure to prevent that damned Alucard from pursuing me further. After all, I lost all of my limbs and weaponry."

"But then, how did you manage to control those pieces of paper with your hands ?"

"That ?"

Alex paused for a while, while two walked down the corridor. He gave a sly smile, one that possibly indicated the he told only half of the truth.

"That, is a secret. And one that you'll learn later. And it's not magic.

Anyway, we're here."

~

"Judas priest !"

Alex could faintly heard the words, as he stared up.

"A monster ? Then what are you then ?"

It was the shadow; rising up slowly, raising, coming for him...Alex could do nothing, the gun in his hand was worthless. He could feel the cold metal touch his tongue as he directed the weapon backward....

~

"Alex."

Alex snapped back into reality, and found Fr. Reyes listening to his heartbeat with a stethoscope.

He was in a stunningly white room; he immediately recognised it as the Vatican's special ward for augmented humans. Nearby were all the wards and cabinets containing medicines, formulas, and of course, specialised devices for his type. He was lying on a comfortable bed, with Fr. Reyes sitting next to him, and Fr. Thomas standing up. A medical robot, about the size of a small dog, was busy moving around on the floor, awaiting orders.

"Your synthetic heart is quite fine, but you need to stop using it too often. There's only so much nano-bots that can be entered into your system before you deplete your energy reserves and become too much of a machine. Don't forget we're still trying to keep you as human as possible, even though you're already partly a cyborg, as we don't want you to end up too much of a machine.

Oh yeah, and don't keep dying too much: there's only so many times that you can be revived from a near-death situation." 

Alex sighed. These vampire missions were getting too tiring for him.

"But admittedly Alex, some of your upgrades have been useful. After all, that invisibility upgrade sure was something, wasn't it ?"

Alex gave a smile.

"It was a good trick, and it got me out of that situation with Alucard. However, things are getting tougher for me..."

"I know they are Alex. In fact, I am currently issuing you with two new augmentation canisters."

He opened a cabinet, one that was specifically highlighted amongst the other cabinets by being painted a sky blue. He took, and showed Alex, now sitting up, two tubes, each one bearing a metal base and cover, and surrounded by a strong layer of perspex, a faint glow of blue light emanating from the substance housed within the tube, as seen through the perspex.

Alex took the canisters, and went to the nearby medical robot. He carefully placed each canister inside the appropriate slot, and the robot promptly unleashed a robotic syringe, which it injected into Alex's hair-covered leg, now bare as he had lifted his pants to allow the operation to take place.

As the canister was being emptied, Fr. Reyes continued to speak.

"You are currently using an upgraded version of your current leg speed upgrade. You current leg upgrade is good, but, I understand you need to move faster and quicker than before. With this upgrade, you'll be able to leap off tall buildings with ease.

We are also installing an electro-magnetic resistance shield into your system. I have no inkling as to how it'll come in handy, but, admittedly: everyone one of the robots in your system is susceptible to an EMP attack: one shock, and they'll all go offline, and you'll be a mere human."

Alex listened calmly, as both canisters were empty, the syringe left, and Alex covered his leg.

"Y'know, we never had anything like this in the days of Vatican II. Then, we had to resort to good ol' fashioned vampire hunting practices, none of this nano-technological stuff. I think Pope John Paul would have turned over his grave knowing that his successor is allowing nano-technology. It's so inhuman."

"Ah yes, Fr. Reyes, but you're forgetting why Pope Patrick has allowed this. Without it, Fr. Alex would have to use robotic arms now, not real flesh and blood arms." Fr. Thomas had to chip this in.

"Pope Patrick ! That bloody pope is too non-conformist ! Before you know it, he'll allow the ordination of women and the lifting of the celibacy for priests ! Heaven knows why in hell we voted an Irish Cardinal for Pope ! That bloody bump on his head must have made him insane !"

"Perhaps, but I don't feel any less human."

As Alex said this, he raised his right hand, now bare, as his bare left hand reached for a glove.

"Even if I were to become a machine, there's something about my humanity that I just cannot shake off. After all, I was born a human, not a machine.

And I still human, even if millions of tiny robots are clogging up my blood veins. 

And I still have to wear glasses."

And with that, he placed his right hand glove on his hand. He could feel the words on his glove speak to him.

"Jesus Christ is in Heaven now."

And he quietly muttered, "And is coming back."

He then got up, and left.

"Gentlemen, I'll be off for a while. Br. Thomas, you know where to find me

God bless you."

And he kissed the crucifix that hang around his neck, in front of both men.

~

"So that is the mission ?"

Fr. John, Cardinal and head of Iscariot nodded, almost showing his purple zucchetto on his scalp.

"Any questions, Fr. Thomas ?"

"But surely raiding a nest of vampires in a night club would be too many ?"

"Aw, come off it ! Fr. Alex has handled such situations with relative ease. You should be concerned for yourself. After all: it's your first mission."

And with that, Fr. John let slide a pistol and a few cartridges.

"That is all ?"

"It's your first mission, and you're mainly doing information gathering. That is, after all, your job. After all, we don't want you to get into too much trouble, do we ?" 

As Thomas walked off, Fr. John called out to Thomas.

"Oh, and when you see Alex, tell him that he had better choose his squire; he's the last one to do so by now."

~

Orphanage.

Children happily playing in the playground, some climbing ladders, sliding down slides; the more quiet ones walking in the garden, smelling flowers, chasing dragonflies.

They were all watched vigilantly, and benevolently by a smiling guardian, as he looked on happily, in the middle of this youth centre. He looked up, into the sky, and felt the warm glow of the sun, as it's rays gently fell on his face. It was glorious.

"Fr. Alex."

Alex turned round.

"We got to go."

Alex smiled. He'd be back anyway.


End file.
